A Seattle woman is creating a very unique mask and helping raise funds for coronavirus relief in the process.
Chelsea Klukas is an entrepreneur and the co-founder of the internationally acclaimed fashion technology organization MakeFasion. She spent years fusing fashion and technology in Canada before moving to Seattle a few years ago and created Lumen Couture.
Klukas creates what she calls "FashionTech for everyday wear, special events and performers." Her collection features dresses and other garments that have been fused with embedded LED technology that brings wardrobe to life with vibrant colors, designs and even messages.
“When the pandemic happened nobody was going out and I wasn’t involved in fashion shows and sort of created my next garment by accident," she said.
Klukas was working on a belt that displayed messages and altered course to create a face mask instead that's embedded with the LED tech. She only intended to make a how-to video on YouTube but the reaction was massive and before she knew it the demand called for her to create an official face mask that she’s now selling on her website.
For a while she was sewing and creating each mask herself in a tiny Capitol Hill studio, but now she's working with a small team that helps her orders coming in from around the world.
The mask works with an App that’s compatible with iOS and Android phones. People can write custom text and draw images or animations. It even works with the microphone on your phone to create an equalizer effect.
Klukas said she wanted to make sure this wasn’t just a novelty item and took measures to unsure the tech is easily removable and the mask can be washed. The tiny battery lasts 6-8 hours and is rechargeable.
Lumen Couture raised nearly $5,000 dollars for COVID-19 relief through a portion of sales over the summer and Klukas is excited to be fulfilling orders twice a week.
If you’re interested in learning more about the female-founded startup and check out the entire collection, click here.